Chapter 3 – The Day He Broke

The day had dragged on for Hermione with Draco's constant nagging about why she was quiet and about Ron, it took all she had not to just break down in front of him. But no. She couldn't do that. Not in front of him.

Ginny didn't help either, she was just as bad if not worse except she knew everything about Ron's and Hermione's messy break up and was trying to re-assure her. It didn't work.

After finishing up her essay for her ancient runes class, she begrudgingly left her safe-place and dragged herself to her dorm, dreading her next encounter with Malfoy.

As soon as the portrait door swung open Draco pounced bombarding her with questions, "Why are you so quiet", "Why are you ignoring me?", "Come on Granger tell what Weasel did!" The list went on and she just ignored him and pushed past him to get to the bathroom where she locked the door and cast a muffilato spell so he couldn't hear her sob as the memories all came flooding back.

/8 MONTHS PRIOR\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"RON?!"

Hermione screamed at him in anger and question as she stumbled in on him and Lavender making out. In THEIR BEDROOM!

"WHAT. THE. HELL?"

"Wait Hermione I can explain, Lavender wait here." Ron chased after Hermione out of the house and into the back garden of The Burrow.

"How long?" Hermione's voice was barely above a whisper yet the threatening tone made it seem so much louder. Ron just gulped.

"I SAID HOW FUCKING LONG?! DON'T JUST STAND THERE LIKE A COWARD AND ANSWER ME!" Her eyes bulged that wide Ron was afraid they were going to pop out of her skull, yet he stood frozen.

Apparently everyone in the house could hear Hermione and decided to see what the commotion was about when Molly made Hermione jump;

"Hermione dear, whatever is the matter"

"Why don't you ask your cheating son? So do tell us Ron how long have you and Lavender been seeing each-other?"

Gasps could be heard from everyone observing and Hermione turned on her heel and ran through the crowd of Weasley's plus Harry and apparated to Grimmauld Place.

Shame was written on everyone's faces as they glared dagger's at Ron.

It took months for his family to forgive him and eventually Hermione did too. Maybe not fully but at least they were speaking. It had taken them ages to find Hermione after she left but it was Harry who found her asleep with tear stained cheeks on the sofa at Grmmauld Place. He looked at his friend and wondered how on earth Ron could do something like that to her especially after everything she's been through, not just the war but when she tried to retrieve her parents and found that the memory charme couldn't be reversed fully so had no way of knowing if they would even remember her if she tried.

What was worse is that Ron never apologized and still carried on dating Lavender as if nothing had changed.

It had broken Hermione into even more pieces than she already was. She went from a hundred pieces, to a thousand tiny fragments, too delicate to touch yet the way it shimmered was beautiful as if it could be repaired.

/Present Day\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Draco took pity on the girl as he found her slumped against the bath tub and so he carried her to her bedroom and covered her up. Maybe if he did little things like this she would forgive him for the way he tried to protect her, from thing she never knew about. From things she would never find out about.

As he walked back into their living space he found a letter sitting their on the round table in the kitchen which was weird as they never got post unless it was meal time in the Great Hall but as he edged nearer he could see the Malfoy stamp and the bile seeped its way into his throat.

He opened it with caution and anxiously read the letter:

Dearest Draco,

How's school? I hope it's going well.

Anyway even though the Dark Lord has fallen and Harry Potter defeated him as the prophecy said, many of us remaining Death Eaters who escaped Azkaban have decided we want to create a new group. One to avenge our Lord. We will kill the mudbloods and muggles and finish what he started.

I expect you at our first meeting, in two months time – I know it is a long time to wait but we decided the Christmas Holidays would be best so as not to raise suspicion with taking a few students out of school regularly to discuss plans.

However, if you refuse it seems I have found two bargaining points, and you know I love your mother but for your best interest I'm sure she wouldn't mind sacrificing herself. And secondly, how's Miss Granger?

Yours truly,

L. Malfoy

Draco felt sick to his stomach, hoping if he ignored it, it would go away. He needed to go to McGonnagall as part of the deal he made only 8 months ago.

He lazily scrawled out a note that was barely legible incase Hermione woke and rushed to the Headmistress's office.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Warm.

That was the first thought that popped into Hermione's brain rose she groggily arose from her slumber, at the colour of the sky she estimated it to be around five in the morning but she couldn't for the life of her remember going to bed. She remembered storming back to her dorm, then ignoring Malfoy, then crying in the bathroom. Wait? Did he do this. He must've. Hermione made a mental note to thank him when he came from his room.

Try as she may Hermione couldn't fall back to sleep so after half an hour of tossing and turning, she decided to start her morning routine a little earlier than usual. As she prepped for her shower and made her way to the Jack and Jill bathroom, she could hear muffled noises coming from the room.

Hermione knocked on the door, lightly at first but after no answer she pounded on it until she received a reply.

"Piss off. I've lost it all. You're the last person I want to see." Were the words Hermione could make out through the loud sobs.

She wouldn't take that as an answer so she burst through the door to find Draco Malfoy, the arrogant and selfish prat, broken and convulsing in sobs.

"What didn't you understand about what I just said. It's because of you and my mother that I'm being blackmailed. DID YOU KNOW THAT?! Because I was forced to be scarred at the age of 16."

Draco continued rambling on but Hermione had zoned out her mind wondering about what he meant. Why was he always talking in riddles to her? Why couldn't she understand?

Instead she just sat down beside him, and rubbed his back soothingly. He flinched at her touch but let her warm hand rub against his shaking figure comforting him until he fell quiet enough to whisper a thanks and went into his room and locked the door.